


Day Fifty-Three || Intense Clarity

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [53]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 06:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17893070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: The Uchiha eyes miss very little...even if one does their best not to see. So is the case with Sasuke and his view of Hinata: he'll have to open his eyes eventually.





	Day Fifty-Three || Intense Clarity

Clans that rely on their eyes so fervidly fear one thing more than most: blindness. The Hyūga are known to strain their eyes, resulting in temporary loss of sight that -if given the proper rest and treatment - will recede with the exhaustion.

The Uchiha are rarely so lucky.

While the Sharingan itself doesn’t cause blindness, the advanced tier exchanges its sight for power. The only known cure? Stealing eyes of someone close enough in blood as not to be rejected, but instead empowered by the exchange.

When Sasuke received Itachi’s eyes, it hadn’t been amicably done...but part of him had to assume that his genius older brother knew he’d take them eventually. The Mangekyō Itachi told him to awaken would slowly blind him...eventually, it would be necessary, unless his pride truly was that strong.

It nearly was.

But the blur he’d already noticed while fighting his prior team at the bridge had unnerved him...as did the exchange he had with the jinchūriki. If he wanted to best Naruto - if he wanted to finally complete his vengeance for not just his lost clan, but his brother - he would need those eyes.

The healing took longer than he wanted...but Sasuke had begun to learn patience by that point. Headstrong and always in a hurry to get results, he’d have to learn that some things take time. So, he’d waited in  _ Madara’s _ safe house until the war began, when he could no longer abide the idling. Removing the gauze, he’d opened his new eyes for the first time, ready to behold the battle and carve his way through.

He’d thought the Sharingan - in both its stages - had been unrivaled in its sight. But this...this was a whole other level. An intense clarity that left nothing hidden from him.

With these eyes...he would behold the future he sought.

Of course...his plans had been rather... _ derailed _ when he saw the last contender upon the battlefield he would ever expect: his dead brother.

They’d met. Quarreled. Fought side by side. And still, Itachi defended Konoha. 

Sasuke could hardly believe it.

It left him reeling. Even after death - even after the ultimate sacrifice for a village that condemned him - Itachi kept his loyalty. His dream and belief in a village that hosted traitors, murderers, and defenders of genocide was not shaken.

...why?!

The question plagued him like nothing else...so, when Jūgo and Suigetsu presented the opportunity, Sasuke got the answers from the horses’ mouths.

The prior Hokage.

Hashirama spun him a tale, all ending with one concept: shinobi are beings that must make impossible choices in order to achieve their dreams. Depending on the nature of the dream you chase, you yourself may have to change.

...Itachi’s dream had been peace. A true pacifist embroiled in a world of war and violence, he’d allowed that to change him...mold him into a soldier he never wished to be, to protect that peace.

By any means necessary. Just as Hashirama slew his best friend, with whom he had dreamed of peace.

Like Itachi eliminated their clan to uphold a tranquility beyond their kin.

It was then Sasuke knew two things. One...he had to protect Konoha, at all cost. His brother’s sacrifice would not,  _ could not _ , be in vain.

And two...to let the village chase that same dream of peace... _ he _ would be the one to change it.

The war, by its end, had cost him much...but granted him a Rinnegan. An eye beyond even his Sharingan, with which he would see the future he desired. Fighting Naruto saw him concede a defeat...but only to change his plans. Not stop them. He would still serve the village. Still guide it. Just...more subtly.

At first, he left Konoha to find more answers...but he ended up interrupted when his brother returned. Suddenly his plans had a greater sense of urgency. He had to change Konoha  _ now _ in order to make it safe for Itachi, and their family.

And that...required compromise.

The alliance with the Hyūga had been a sting to his pride unlike almost anything else he’d endured. But...once his temper cooled, he realized the logic behind it. They needed numbers. They needed a vote of confidence. And the other dōjutsu clan was practically family, when you thought about their roots. There was really no better choice.

And, he had to admit...out of all of the clans his generation had heirs from...Hinata was the easiest to get on with.

Granted, she was no longer heiress. Didn’t want to be. But she  _ did _ put her all into their partnership, aware of their circumstances...and the details behind it. Beyond that, it wasn’t hard for her to notice her parallels with the avenger...and the different paths they took in response. 

And so, though it began out of necessity...Sasuke’s bond with the Hyūga girl grew all on its own. His view of her - unlike so many in their year - wasn’t soiled by any bad blood. She hadn’t fawned over him shallowly like Ino or Sakura. Hadn’t annoyed him like Naruto or the other boys that just saw him as an aloof jerk. Which...sure, maybe he’d been a  _ bit _ of a jerk. But...his point was, out of everyone in their class that had passed...her slate was cleanest. And their temperaments - though not a  _ perfect _ match (his fading temper and her prior timidity aside) - meshed better than anyone else his age he’d met.

The revived police - combined Hyūga and Uchiha - was exactly what Sasuke wanted. And they became partners, working well together. In every avenue they met, things just... _ clicked _ .

Until Sasuke realized...it went further than that.

He couldn’t really name the reason. If the light hit her face just right, or...her expression was reminiscent of something he’d been missing. But one day, seemingly out of nowhere...he saw her... _ differently _ .

Just like the unveiling of his eyes, something else seemed to be pulled out of his gaze to let him see her with that same intense clarity.

In a single moment, everything changed. His memories with her took on a new light. It was then Sasuke saw what he’d been trying so hard not to see.

...he was in love with her.

It was a realization both uplifting, and terrifying. The former because...he never thought he would feel that way about anyone. Have that chance.

Terrifying...well, for many of the same reasons. He had no idea what he was doing. If he deserved it. If he could trust himself not to hurt her.

But no one - in all his years - had made him feel that way.

...maybe he’d changed. But, as Hashirama had said: sometimes, to chase your dreams, you would have to.

This, he knew...would be worth changing for.

**Author's Note:**

> A bit late, but I had a busy day - and am also in the middle of being sick with a sore throat, blegh!
> 
> Anywho, a bit of a narrative style this time - I wanted to go into more detail, but honestly my brain's a bit shot tonight, so this will have to do. Even Sasuke isn't immune to that moment where, suddenly...you realize what you're REALLY looking at ;3
> 
> Anywho, I better get a few other things done, then call it a night~ Thanks for reading!


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